Once upon a time, there was a boy named Hiccup. He was a young Viking settled down on the island of Berk. He wanted to join the battle against the dragons who kept on invading the town. Sad enough, his father would not let him do that. Throwing his father’s resistance aside, the young Viking finds himself in a battle against the mysterious creatures. He sets out with his pet dragon, named Toothless, and learns the ways and means of the world. He was to learn soon his tribe’s wrong impression about the lovable species. But then the young boy is too late.
So begins the first episode of How to Train Your Dragon. The success of the series has made it into a third episode of the movie which is now screening.
Perhaps the animated movie has more animated live spirit than their human-driven category. The directors have more freedom creating beauty out of the most loathsome forms. The dragon lore has enjoyed a fascinating readership over the years. Jay Baruchel could capitalise on this phenomenon to come up with the third episode of How to Train Your Dragon.
On the third episode, we have the chance to meet the young boy once again with his pet dragon. They are on a mission to rescue some imprisoned dragons. They run into numerous adventures. The adventures entertain the theme of loyalty and love.
As a result, we get introduced to another dragon of note – a dragoness, in fact – on the third episode. Light Fury, a soft companion who seems to woo Toothless first. The cascading development of their relationship adds a romantic element to the movie in a not-so-cliched manner. Light Fury is a lure employed by Hiccup’s enemy, but the plot reaches a twist towards an unexpected series of incidents. Grimmel, the enemy, is left powerless before Light Fury’s strong emotions for Toothless which leads to loyalty and other positive humane characteristics.
Commenting on the adroitness of an animated movie sounds funny enough in this digitally sophisticated era. But we cannot help observing the marvellous technique used in the animation. It is the marvel, in fact, fused in the visual vigour. The director’s experienced manipulation of the atmosphere and surrounding of the core characters definitely magnetises a massive crowd. Even if they come with a fourth instalment to the trilogy, given the same directorial specifications, the movie would continue to have the magnetising impact.
The experienced directing comes to the fore especially in minute scenes like the dragons invading the blue skies yonder. The movements leave us without breath in certain instances. We are transported to the subtitled hidden world in the most realistic platform possible. That said, rest assured that we, the audience, are a part of this world, hidden away from the humans outside the cinema.
The themes of loyalty and love abound the plot. As we draw close to the end, we wonder whether the plot outline is somewhat a foregone conclusion. The final stages of the plot seem to have been coughed up hurriedly. Nevertheless, the parting, as well as the reunion, has an emotional effect on us especially because the characters involved had already developed a firm relationship with the audience. Dragons are dragons, while humans are humans. They cannot survive together. Though an occasional reunion is possible, both species cannot leave their territories. That’s the takeaway point instilled in the movie.
Like in any other movie, animated or otherwise, How to Train Your Dragon 3 accommodates distractive scenes. The flirtatious encounter between Hiccup’s mother and the teenagers hardly accomplishes anything to develop the plot. But that is not much of a serious issue considering the overall charm that pervades the work.
How to Train Your Dragon 3 is the last of the Dragon trilogy. Perhaps the producers have no plan to expand. Yet, the last scene which entertains the Hiccup-Toothless reunion leaves room for some expansion.
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